INICIAR SESIÓN"Sis! Over here!"
Clara Hayes waved from behind the bubbling hot pot, her cheeks flushed pink from the steam. I had just sat down when the gossip hit me. "You little seductress, spill it!" Clara leaned in, her eyes blazing. "Did you put a spell on Mr. Knight?" "You and Mr. Knight, have you already secretly gotten together?" "What are you talking about?" I picked up a slice of premium beef and dipped it into the aromatic, spicy broth. "I wiLuke and Elena's wedding ended perfectly.Back home, I kicked off my heels and collapsed onto the sofa with a satisfied sigh."Today was a good day. Elena and Luke finally made it."Alexander took off his suit jacket, loosened his collar, and sat down beside me, pulling me into his arms."Exhausted?""Tired, but happy."I nuzzled against his chest and pulled out my phone."Let me see if anyone posted photos."I opened Messenger. Luke had just shared several high-res shots from the wedding, including group photos of the bridal party.Alexander glanced at my screen. His eyes casually swept over my recent chat list.The top one was him.The note wasn't "Alexander" or "Husband." It was—Beast.Alexander raised an eyebrow. "Beast?"I froze. I followed his gaze to the phone and felt my scalp prickle. I slapped the phone face-down on my thigh."What did you see?" I played dumb.Alexander reached over, too
The air went still for a beat. Luke stopped moving. He looked up at her. The teasing drained from his eyes. They went deep. Quiet. "Elena." He walked to her, crouched down, and looked up at her. The position, humbling for someone as arrogant as him, made him look like he was kneeling in devotion. He took a deep breath to steady himself. "Proposing? That's my job." "I don't care." Elena cut him off. She held his hand tighter. Her eyes were clear. "The ceremony, the ring. I don't care about any of it." She looked at him. Her eyes were red. "We've waited too many years." "From fifteen to twenty-five. The best decade of our lives. We spent it missing each other." She took a breath, like she was gathering every ounce of courage she had left. "The time we have left? I don't want to waste a single second." Luke's breath stopped. He watched her red eyes. He heard her brave, tearful confession. Somethin
Elena jerked up from his chest, her face instantly on fire. "You saw that?" She had always thought he never looked. "I saw it." His admission was clean. "Every word. Every stroke. Clear as day." "I watched you scribble out my name and fill the page again. You almost tore through the paper." Elena's cheeks burned hotter. Shame flooded her. She tried to pull away. He held her tighter. She couldn't move. "Then why did you throw it away?" "What was I supposed to do?" Luke's voice dropped. "Kiss you right then? Tell you I was losing my mind too?" "Elena, how old were you back then?" His voice was rough with years of struggle and restraint. "You were so young. So innocent. Like a blank sheet of paper." "And the things I wanted to do to you? Even I thought they were dirty." "How could I let you sneak around with me when you were engaged to someone else?" He smiled bitterly. "I had to wait. For yo
After Victoria left, Elena sat cross-legged on the carpet, her back against the sofa.Only a floor lamp was on, its warm yellow glow surrounding her in a small, solitary circle.She went over the objects again and again, piecing together the version of Luke she had missed for seven years.Every photo. Every flight. They were his silent confessions.All the details she had deliberately ignored now rushed to the surface.He had tanked his grades on purpose. Stayed in school for the one year they should never have had together.He had torn up that love letter. Not to guard it for Alexander, but out of a teenage boy's clumsy, possessive need to claim her for himself.He had given her hyacinth seeds instead of flowers. Too scared to give her the real thing. Too scared she would know the meaning. Too scared she wouldn't.He had flown to London forty-two times and never come close. Because he was afraid he would lose control.He had taken on the
The new SoftVoice collection launch meeting was winding down. The conference room was bright with white light.Song Sheng finalized the last proposal and closed her tablet."The face of the new collection is locked in. Zoe Brooks."She glanced at Elena, adding casually,"Oh, and Elena, she went to the same high school as you, I think? You might have something in common."Same high school.Zoe Brooks.The name was like a rusty key, unlocking a corner of Elena's memory that she had kept locked away.High school. The grove of trees behind the gym.The girl who had stood in front of Luke Cole, confessing her feelings like a scene from a movie.---The work session went surprisingly smoothly.Zoe was professional, dedicated, and didn't act like a spoiled celebrity.During a break, they sat in the lounge drinking coffee.Zoe suddenly set down her cup, looked at Elena, and smiled with a hint of nostalgia."Elena, yo
The bathroom door slid open, and a wave of steam rolled out ahead of him. Luke stepped into the living room, shirtless, his dark hair still dripping. One towel was draped over his shoulders, while another was wrapped precariously low around his hips, the knot resting right on his pelvic bone. Elena was curled up on the sofa. The TV was on, but the volume was muted. She caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of her eye—one second, two seconds—and felt the heat crawl up into the tips of her ears. He took the towel from his shoulders, rubbed his head with a few lazy strokes, and tossed it toward the laundry basket with a practiced, masculine grace. "Hairdryer," he said, his voice dropping an octave. A stray droplet escaped his wet hair, tracking down the corded muscle of his neck and disappearing into the hollow of his collarbone. Elena pointed toward the entertainment center. "Left drawer." Luke didn't move. He leaned against the doorframe, watchi
"Ten minutes."Alexander looked up at Gerald's ashen face."In ten minutes, the Scorched Earth Plan goes into full effect.""All assets under your name will be frozen simultaneously. The audit reports on every irregular transaction Knight Group has made in the past thirty yea
In the shrine, the shattering of the porcelain bowl was like a period. It cut off all of Gerald's triumph.He stared at Lila in disbelief. Then his head snapped toward Alexander."You two—""Not that early."Alexander's voice was flat."Right when you were using her
Alexander listened to the long, twisted story in silence.The only sounds in the shrine were the soft crackle of candles and Gerald's heavy breathing.Finally, he spoke. His voice was eerily calm."Done?"Gerald froze.Alexander lifted his eyes. They were so dar
"Lisa?!"On the other end of the line, all that answered him was the muffled thud of a phone hitting the floor, a few indistinct sounds of struggle, and then silence.Alexander's fingers tightened around his phone. His knuckles went white.Luke and Soren both looked at him."A







